The teenager who murdered three young girls in Southport last year uttered the words as he arrived under an armed guard
Three days after Axel Rudabukana had committed an unspeakable crime, he was sat in the back of a police van, heading to court.
As the convoy turned off the Strand into the tunnel underneath Derby Square which greets all prisoners appearing at Liverpool Magistrates' Court and Liverpool Crown Court, a scrum of cameras awaited his arrival amongst a smattering of angry and otherwise curious members of the public. It was at this moment that, the ECHO reports, Rudakubana simply remarked: "Is this all for me?"
At this stage, the reason lying behind his refusal to speak remained open for speculation. Was this a deeply troubled teenager who had not realised the enormity of his heinous crimes until thrust into the glare of the nation's media? Had he frozen in the spotlight of a small courtroom with not a single seat to spare?
Axel Rudakubana's haunting expression revealed beyond doubt the fact that he was revelling in the circus that he had created. The lives and feelings of his victims were mere play things for him to toy with. Thus, on a mild and dry Monday morning in January 2025, he was led into courtroom 51 under the escort of four security guards and, true to type, refused to stand or confirm his name when asked to do so by the court clerk. But there was to be one final twist as his counsel, Stanley Reiz KC, asked for the indictment to be put to his client once more.
Guilty to possession of the knife used to carry out the horrifying attacks. Guilty to the production of ricin and the "Al Qaeda Training Manual" found when Merseyside Police searched his bedroom.
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